Always Another Mountain, Always Another Storm
by localsportsteam
Summary: Anna had learned long ago that what you loved could hurt you, even if it didn't mean to. After tragedy strikes, Anna seeks to right a cosmic wrong with the help of her sister and her budding springtime powers. Elsa needs to find a king to help her rule by her quickly approaching 25th birthday - which is complicated by the fact that she's a lesbian.
1. Springtime Powers

"Are you awake?"

Kristoff had found it hard to sleep in the palace. It's not because he was a picky person as to where he slept - he'd slept in barns, on the ground, on hay, on dirt. He'd burrow down and be asleep in minutes. But the palace was so large, with ceilings too tall and things too organized. Everything was at 90 degree angles; everything had a guard or a maid or someone to watch over it. He feared that if he slept in the sheets wrong he'd be making some poor servant's day harder, and for what? For him? It just seemed so unnecessary. But Elsa had insisted that he move into the palace as soon as Anna had announced that he slept in a barn at dinner. Which wasn't true, by the way! Just because he and Sven slept in the same room didn't make it a barn.

It took time to adjust to all of this, and Kristoff truthfully didn't think he'd every fully adjust to living here. It was too different from everything he'd ever known, and too different from how he was built. But Anna loved having him here, and he loved Anna, so he stayed and adjusted himself. It had been about a year since he'd been moved in and given his own royal room so all of this to say that, yes, he was asleep at the moment Anna climbed into bed with him and shook his shoulder.

"Kristoff, if you're sleeping, just say so."

"How would that work, exactly?"

"Oh, good. You're up!"

Kristoff groaned and rolled onto his back.

Anna laughed. "Are you naked?"

Kristoff flushed red, grateful for the cover of night. "_No_, I'm wearing pants, just not a shirt."

"You don't sleep with a shirt?" Anna asked, putting a hand on his chest as if she needed to confirm for herself that he was, indeed, shirtless. "I sleep with a shirt on. Well, a dress. But it has a top part."

"Is this what needed to be discussed at three am?"

"Of course not! It's only two am." Anna said.

Kristoff laughed and pulled Anna on top of him, wrapping both his arms around her so tight he could touch his own shoulders. Anna sighed and relaxed for a second, but wriggled and tipped her head up to whisper in his ear. "I have something to show you."

Kristoff froze for a second. This was not the first time Anna had snuck into his room at night, and he had drastically misread that situation the first time it happened too. He remembered the embarrassment of excitedly kissing her, trying to pull her closer only to have her laugh and show him a miniature painted horse she had found while rifling through her things. He tried to set their relationship fully at her pace and her comfort, but part of him wondered if Anna even knew what sex was, because at least he knew how everyone would react if they found her in here at this hour.

"What is it?" he finally asked, arms still around her. "If you woke me up to show me another horse-"

"No! Better! Come with me." Anna wriggled free and climbed off of him, grabbing his arm by his wrist and tugging at him.

"Better than a miniature horse? Oh wow." Kristoff grumbled, taking her hand and letting himself get dragged down the hallway and into a large sitting room.

"Okay, now watch this." Anna stepped behind an end table that housed a few plants and a book.

Kristoff rubbed sleep from his eyes and tried to focus. He was neither a night owl nor an early bird and this was the worst of both worlds.

Anna furrowed her brow and pursed her lips, concentrating on the plants. She raised her hands, moving them in little circles. Kristoff didn't know if that helped her concentrate or was actually doing something, but within a few seconds the plants began to grow and sprawl out, a soft green glow emanating from them. A orchid grew to twice its size, blooming two more buds.

"Oh my God!" Kristoff explained, staggering back for a second before running closer. "How did you do that?" he squatted and gingerly touched one of the orchid flowers. It was _real_. It had grown in a second just before his eyes.

Anna squealed. "I don't know!"

Kristoff laughed. "This is incredibly. I can't believe this." he pulled Anna closer to him and examined her hands. "I mean I believe it. I saw it, after all. And if anyone's going to be able to do this, it would definitely be you. But, God!" he laughed, rising up to his full height. "What did your parents feed you as kids? You _both_ have powers? How did all of this happen?"

"I don't know!" Anna shuffled a little, looking around. "Elsa said that after the accident, when they took me to the trolls, all memories of magic were removed. So I sort of just...forgot that I'd be able to do things like this. But after everything, after the thaw, things slowly came back to me."

"When did this start?" Kristoff asked. The plants stayed just as grown as they were. It still amazed him.

"Well I've always been very good at keeping plants alive." Anna said. "Which I just figured was a normal talent. I tried to take good care of them, even I forgot to water them every once in a while or something. And about a year back after the thaw I was walking in the gardens, looking at this one plant I didn't quite recognize, and wondering how it could be helped. It was dying. And once I really concentrated it just...bloomed. _That_ I knew was weird."

"Wow." Kristoff breathed. "So you've been working this out for a year?"

"Yes! I finally feel like I'm starting to get a bit of a handle on it. It doesn't always work, but here, look-" Anna grabbed his arm again and yanked him back out into the hallway to her bedroom.

Kristoff stood behind her as she gestured to all the roses spilling out over her windowsill and across the floor.

"I kept focusing on roses and I just made them appear! Bloomed out of thin air!" Anna jumped a little. "Isn't it amazing?"

Kristoff laughed, for want of having anything else to do. "It's _amazing_."

Anna spun around and threw her arms around him, hopping a little to let him pick her up.

"What's this?" Kristoff asked, jostling her a little.

"If you have to hold on to me, you can't leave and go back to bed." she leaned her head into his neck, sighing.

Kristoff smiled. He knew that he should put her down and go back to his room, but he also remembered how many times he had dreamed of a moment just like this with her, so who was he to deny either of them?

"Why don't I just stay?" he said.

Anna lifted her head to smile widely at him. "I think that's a wonderful idea!"

…

Brigita liked working as a maid the castle, mostly. It was good work, not too hard. It paid well, and the castle was a beautiful place to spend time. But the worst part, especially for a night person such as herself, was having to be the first one up. She was the new maid, lowest in the pecking order, and it was her job to sneak into the rooms and stoke up the fires.

It was grimy work but, worse, it must be done with the most care. She was going into people's bedrooms - _royal's_ bedrooms - and rifling around as they slept. She must not, under any circumstances, wake them. Elsa was kind, as their few reactions had proved, but she was a light sleeper. Anna slept through anything, so that was less concerning.

So, as usual, she got warmed up for her duties by starting with Anna's room. She opened the door quietly, and very quickly noticed that the princess wasn't alone. Brigita clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh. Of course she knew that Anna and Kristoff were a couple, and sure they weren't the first people to spend the night together before marriage, but there was something so _bold_ about -

Brigita was hit with the realization that if nearly anyone else found them like this, the reaction wouldn't be that of bemusement. No, Anna or Kristoff could get in serious trouble for this. Kristoff especially, since would but the queen could punish a princess? Biting her lip, Brigita crept over to the side of the bed where Kristoff gently snored.

"Hey. Hey!" she said, jabbing his shoulder.

He moaned, and she shushed him.

"Oh!" he jumped a little, but she waved her hands.

"Don't wake Anna!" she whispered. "It's morning. You can't be found here."

Kristoff was groggy for a second, but realization hit him quickly. "Oh, shit-"

"Sh! No one is up yet, go now! You'll be fine, your room isn't that far."

Kristoff nodded a little. "Thank you!"

Brigita smiled and stepped back, letting him leave quickly and close the door behind him. She looked around with amusement at the hundreds of roses around the room. With a bit of concentration and a wave of her hand, she brought a gust of wind and tidied them up.

…

Elsa sat at the table with the council, clenching her hands into fists as she listened to what they said.

"And no one felt it important to bring this to my attention until now, right as the deadline approaches?" she said, maintaining her composure as best should could. Which, based on the discomfort of the council, was not very well.

"We hoped it would happen...organically." One of the men spoke.

"You are getting older, after all."

"I'm only twenty-four!" Elsa exclaimed.

"Your parents wanted this to be a match of love, as well as smart politics." another man explained. "They did not make this law, but they spoke of it to us often in your youth."

"I'm perfectly capable of running this country on my own." Elsa crossed her arms.

"No one is saying that you aren't, highness. But no human, no matter how educated or prepared, knows everything, all the time. It is good to have a partner, a confidant, someone to discuss matters of state with."

Elsa felt sadness pool in her stomach. Her parents had wanted her to be married. She knew it was common for rulers to be married, and she remembered both her parents crediting the success of their too-short reign to the partnership and trust they shared.

"So what did their letter say?"

"They wrote it together when you were eighteen, when your mother caught ill."

Elsa remembered those scary days. Her mother had caught a fever, leaving her bedridden for weeks. The doctor was hesitant to say that she would die, but everyone assumed that this would be the end of her. Thankfully, her mother had recovered, though they didn't understand then that she was living on borrowed time.

"Show it to me." Elsa said. The letter was handed to her, and she read it quickly.

The letter wasn't long, stating that her parents wished that, in the event they wouldn't be around for her young adulthood, that she'd be married. They gave her the age of 25 as a guide, telling her to treat it as an important decision, but not to wait for the perfect person, because they'd never come. They said they knew their daughter, and that she'd wait forever for a faultless man, when all she needed was a king.

_All you need is a king. _

Elsa touched where her parents had written that. They didn't know, they'd never know.

"Most women are married by your age." a man said gingerly.

Elsa glared at him, and he looked away. She folded the letter and slid it onto her lap. She would never love a man, she knew that, but did the rest of the kingdom even know it was possible? She knew of no women who married other women, she'd never heard of a queen ruling with a woman by her side. Was this, like ice powers, another phenomenon only she was forced to reckon with?

Even there, she debated telling them. Saying that, sure, she'd pull off a marriage in a year, but only if she could find a bride. She didn't know how they'd react, though she couldn't imagine the conversation would be easy. God, she wished that anyone else knew! It would be easier to know what to say if she had ever pieced the words together before. But what good would it do? She had never known a woman romantically, there was no one to fight for her right to be together with.

She'd have to reckon with this, she knew that much. But that battle didn't have to be fought today.

"It's your parents' wishes, highness." A man said, giving her a pleading look. "We didn't do this to hurt you, we did this to honor them."

"I know." Elsa said quietly. "That's the only reason why I'm listening."


	2. Engagements

Winter would come soon - without Elsa's help this time - and Anna was determined to make the most of whatever was left of fall. Kai had packed up a picnic lunch, which Kristoff held in his left hand, holding onto Anna with his right.

"How far did you say this was?"

"Don't tell me that _Kristoff_, Kristoff the _big mountain man_," Anna bumped her shoulder up against him, laughing. "Is getting _winded_."

Kristoff laughed. "Oh I could hike all day without getting tired, hell, I could carry you too!" proving his point, Kristoff dropped the basket and swept Anna up over his shoulder. She screeched and laughed, grabbing onto the back of his shirt.

"Okay!" she laughed. "I believe you, I believe you!"

"But, what makes this situation so nice is that you are all the way up here," he popped up his shoulder to remind her she was over six feet off the ground. "And the basket, with the food, is all the way down there." he pointed. "So, really, I'm the only one with access to it, and I believe that Kai put four apple turnovers in there."

"I love apple turnovers!" Anna exclaimed. "Give me one."

"Now you see," Kristoff said, walking around with her. "I also love apple turnovers. In fact, I'm in the mood to have four of them right now."

"We are supposed to share!"

"I mean, sure, I could give you a bite. But as you so kindly pointed out, I am a big mountain man and I need my strength, so I should probably go ahead and eat all four."

Anna wriggled. "Don't you dare!"

"What're you gonna give me?"

"What?"

"To put you down!"

Anna paused for a second. "I'll find the brightest, reddest leaf I can."

"Oh, I'm set on leaves. Guess you're stayin' up there." Kristoff said, spinning around.

Anna laughed. "Well, what do you want?"

Kristoff spun her around again. "How about a kiss?"

"Oh, I can do that!"

Kristoff squatted to drop Anna back onto her feet, but she was quickly back in his arms, flinging her arms around his neck and kissing him hard. He wrapped his arms around her back and pulled her up against him, as close as she could be. She broke the kiss and leaned back, sliding her hands to cup his jaw.

"Okay." he said, pressing his forehead against hers. "I suppose you can have one turnover."

"_**ONE?!-**_"

…

Brigita checked over her shoulder to make sure that no one was watching her, then waved her hand to sleep up the rest of the soot. She didn't like dusting much either. She walked by the plants on the windowsill and made them bloom a bit more. Her mother had always said her gift was from the solstice, as she was born on that summer day, and Brigita had no trouble accepting that. The issue was in _why_ she was given these powers.

At first, she thought it was a product solely of the day of your birth. Maybe other people got other powers from their day, but it didn't really seems so. In fact, Brigita didn't know of anyone who had any sort of powers like her - well, until Queen Elsa had her ice meltdown. Though she wasn't quite sure at first why their powers were so different, she eventually figured it out - the Queen was born on the winter solstice.

Brigita walked into the next room and performed the next set of tasks. Swoop all the dust into the center of the room. Move it into the dust pail. Help the plants bloom. The work was mindless, easy enough to do. Why did she need the ability to do all of this if this was going to be the extent of her life?

She'd do anything for some excitement. There was no concrete plan or even real idea of the sort of excitement she wanted. The usual things, she supposed. Travel, adventure, true love. The things you read about in storybooks. But, those sorts of things weren't likely in the cards for her. At least, not while there were still chores to do.

Brigita sighed, and a flower wilted.

...

Kristoff sat there quietly, losing the specifics of what Anna was saying for the experience of watching her talk. She was bubbly and excited, over something as simple as eating lunch. Kristoff had never been excited about eating lunch before. Ever. She moved quickly, in jagged little darts because every stimuli claimed all of her attention. It was like watching a sunbeam in human form.

"What're you looking at?" Anna waved her hand a little in front of his face, laughing.

Kristoff looked up at her, focusing. "I love you." he said breathlessly.

"I love you, too." Anna smiled, happy but confused. They'd told each other they were in love before. Why, they'd been dating for roughly three years at this point.

"No, Anna, I mean I love you." he leaned in towards her, taking both of her hands. "I've never loved another girl, and I could never love anyone else. Not like this." he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Not even close."

"Kristoff-" Anna breathed.

"I don't know how to say this sort of stuff very well. I've never had any practice. I didn't know I _could_ feel this way. Believe me, if someone had even told me that you could feel this way about a person, I would've come down to the castle and found you myself - years ago! I don't have anything to compare it to. I'm not that great with words. I just know that I've never felt this happy in my life, and I've felt that every day. At first...at first I was waiting for the other shoe to drop, or to feel differently. But it hasn't come. And now I think it's just not going to."

Anna sat there, beaming, drawing her knees up and hugging herself.

"There's nothing and no one I care about more than you, Anna." He said, reaching for her. "I love you. I really do."

"Oh, Kristoff…" Anna closed any space between them, climbing onto his lap and leaning back, pulling him on top of her.

As they kissed and laid there in the last of the crisp fall days, Kristoff knew that he had to marry this girl. He'd known it for a while, but the urgency reached him in that moment. Nothing mattered more than building a life and space with this girl, and he wanted to start, officially, properly, as soon as possible.

Besides, he already had the ring.

...

"Mom...Dad." Elsa stepped up to the portrait of her parents, looking up at them. "How could you do this?"

No one was around - no one came this way except for Elsa, and maids when they were giving the area a once-over. Nothing particularly important was over here, besides a lot of art and a few sitting rooms. There were other portraits of the king and queen, other portraits of the royal family, but Elsa liked this one. She had spent time wondering why this one drew her, and finally accepted that it wasn't so much the painting itself, but the location. It gave them a place to talk.

"I know I didn't tell you the truth about me, and maybe I should've." Elsa grabbed her arm and looked down. "I didn't know how. I know you tried to help with the ice powers, but you didn't, okay? All you did was scare me, and make me hold it inside me, when it wasn't bad!"

She sighed and spun around, looking up to face them again. "I know you were doing what you thought was right. I know that. I know you loved me. But what you did was wrong. It didn't help me, it hurt me. And I know that's the curse of parenting - that all parents ruin their kids, just through the fallibility of being human. And you ruined me in that way. I don't know if I can ever fix it, but it's getting better. I'm learning about myself, Anna is helping me. I don't think she'll ever quite get it either, but she helps." Elsa bit her lip. "But I didn't know anyone who felt...who loved women like I do. You understand why I couldn't tell you, right? With everything you did with the ice powers...I didn't want this part of me changed too. I don't think it's normal. I've never seen or heard of anyone else feeling this way, not around here anyway. But I like it. I think it's a good part of me."

Elsa picked up a book she had placed on a nearby table, one she had been reading a month earlier. "I was reading this biography, about a Swedish queen in the 1600s. The biographer seemed fond of her, and she was very learned and smart, even if she didn't seem to be the best cut out for ruling. She decided not to marry, Mama and Papa. The biographer talks about the close, personal friendships she kept with women. And how she declared that she would never marry a man. The book doesn't say it, of course, but still I feel...I feel like maybe she's like me. I wish the book would just say. I wish I could know that I wasn't alone in this too."

Elsa sighed, putting the book down on a table in front of them. "Either way, I'm telling you now. I want you to know that I didn't avoid men to spite you, or because I'm too picky. I don't want a husband. I'd never love him, no matter how perfect he is. But I understand what you want - for me and, more importantly, for the kingdom. I'm not the perfect ruler. Why, I've already proven that. I'm not too bold as to assume that I'll ever reach a point where I can run this kingdom on my own. So I will look for a king." she nodded, as if she were trying to convince herself. "I know I can never have what I want, I know I can't have a wife. Where would I even find such a woman like me?" she shook her head, feeling tears come. "I don't think more than a few of us have ever been fastened. I don't know why I'm supposed to be lonely, I don't know why all my gifts isolate me. But they do."

Stepping back, she put her hands behind her back to steady herself. "I will not let my suffering punish Arendelle. If you really believed that a king would help the country, I will find a partner. I don't know how, but I will find someone. It will work out, I know it will. It always does."

Elsa wiped her tears onto her sleeve, sniffling a little. "I love you guys, I hope you still know that."

…

"Winter is almost here - and in the normal part of the year, finally!" Anna said, turning to Kristoff.

He laughed. "Yes, and finally I can go harvest some ice." he rubbed his hands together excitedly. "Sven's been itching to get out."

Anna laughed. "Can I come with again?"

Kristoff put an arm around her shoulders. "Always." he said. "But I swear to God, if you try to walk out on the ice again I am going to have a heart attack, die, come back to life, and kill you."

"The ice seemed solid!"

"You fell through!"

"I said _seemed_! Turns out it wasn't!"

"Anna, that was the worst day of my life." Kristoff said, with a protective seriousness. "Turning just in time to see you fall through the ice and into the water...if one little thing had been different we wouldn't be here today. If I hadn't seen you, if you had floated down and gotten trapped under thicker ice, if you hadn't been able to hold your breath." Kristoff furrowed his brow and looked down at her. "That's twice now I've thought you were going to die. Don't make me go through it a third time, please."

Anna turned to him and placed a hand on his chest. "I'll be careful, Kristoff, promise. I don't mean to get into this trouble, it just happens."

"I know, I know." Kristoff sighed. "It's not your fault. Just...just promise me you'll always be cautious around ice. It's dangerous, as you well know. Winter is a difficult realm for anyone."

"Even rugged mountain men?" Anna smirked.

"Even rugged mountain men." Kristoff laughed, and they continued on their walk.

…

Elsa gave her permission to the council for them to summon suitors. It felt so easy, so formal to initiate such a complex and intimate process. The men would come, they would meet, they would spend supervised time together, and eventually she'd marry one of them. Easy as pie.

The council was excited at this prospect, and complimented her on her fine diplomatic decision, her reasonableness, several other things she was sure, but she had already zoned out. It didn't matter. She wasn't doing this for their praise, or for their sake.

Letters were sent out that day, inviting them all to come in at staggered times, like meetings. There was the presumption that all of them would show up - she was a queen, after all, but Elsa wouldn't have minded a bit if a few of them couldn't quite make it work with their schedules.

She figured it didn't matter much, anyway. She needed a king. It didn't matter what he looked like, or what goals he had, as long as he-

Elsa stopped for a second. Oh my God. If she was to marry someone, she wouldn't just be getting a husband, he would be getting a wife. This wasn't just a king, it was a person, who probably dreamed of being in love, maybe of having kids, of building a friendship and a life with another person who very well could be her.

Elsa bit her lip and hugged herself. She hadn't even thought of that - and the invitations were gone! It was already a terrible problem when she reckoned how it would affect herself, but now she'd be robbing someone of their true love, of the life they wanted, just so she could honor her parents and run her kingdom.

Collapsing on a chair, Elsa fully realized now what had been done. How far would she have to go in this charade? Would she have to pretend to fall in love? Would she have to bear children? Was this worth it, to lie about every aspect of her life just to be someone's pretend wife?

Was there another option?

...

Kristoff paced in his room, back and forth in front of the moon. How do you propose to someone, knowing that they're the love of your life? What can you possibly do to convey the magnitude of your love, of everything you'll spend your life trying to give them?

He didn't know how to put on a show. He'd never put on any sort of show before, ever. For anyone. Was he supposed to get a thousand roses, get champagne bottles to pop on cue? Have the dishes perform a song and dance? Where was an enchanted castle when you need one?

"Stupid, lousy, normal castle." he mumbled, leaning against the wall and looking out the window.

He didn't even think Anna would really like a big show. Sure, she liked events and exciting things, but she never particularly cared to have them be about her. She liked their picnics, and walks, and time lounging about the castle. Whenever he asked her what she wanted to do, those were the things she picked. He had asked several times about balls or ceremonial things, thinking that was the sort of thing that princesses liked, and she laughed. She assured him that she did like those things, but just to meet the people. The panache itself was a side dish.

He knew Anna, he knew her heart. If he were to make a fool of himself and gather up every romantic gesture he'd ever heard about and put it in a room, she'd indulge him. She'd say that she loved it, but would she really? That was what was most important. Though this question bonded the two of them equally, he didn't want to make it about him. So few things were about Anna, this had to be.

Kristoff also wondered how much of this was a product of nerves. He'd let Anna set the pace on every aspect of their relationship. After Hans...he didn't want her to move more quickly than she was comfortable. She was still so warm, so trusting, after everything that bastard had done to her. He didn't want to ruin it or exploit it, no matter how unintentional those things would be. Whenever they took another step together, he wanted it to be fully because she wanted it to happen.

But wouldn't a show make that worse? If he filled a room with props and people, watching her and demanding an answer, wouldn't that just be forcing a yes when she may only want to give a 'maybe'?

It was obvious that she loved him. He didn't doubt that a bit. But she could love him and still not be ready for marriage, he knew that. He wanted the answer that she wanted to give. Of course he wanted her to say yes, to excitedly agree to marry him. Only now was he fully processing how much he wanted to hear her say yes. But none of that was as important as ensuring that is was what she wanted.

Only then, did Kristoff realize how he wanted to ask her. He went to grab a shirt, but decided against it. He would go as he was. Besides, he didn't think she'd mind. He opened his bedroom door and looked down the hallway both ways, double-checking that no one was coming. No one was. He slid out and shut the door quietly behind him, headed down the hall to Anna's room.

"Anna?" Kristoff asked, crawling into bed with her.

Anna snored in response.

Kristoff shook her shoulder.

"Huh?" Anna shot up, eyes flying open. She yawned, and wiped drool from her mouth. "Kristoff!"

"I have something to show you." he said, smiling a little.

Anna paused for a second. "Is it a miniature horse?"

Kristoff smiled. "Better."

"Oh, I'm not too sure about that. Let's see it." Anna said, now fully awake.

"This was my mother's." he prefaced. "It's the last thing I really have of her."

"Oh, wow." Anna said, climbing onto his lap and putting her arms around his neck. "Can I see it?"

Kristoff took a deep breath, pulling out the small golden ring. Anna gasped.

"I love you, Anna. I don't know how to tell you in a way that is adequate. No one ever taught me the words, no one taught me how to love you properly, fully. I'm giving you everything I have, and it still doesn't feel like enough in comparison to how you make me feel."

"It's more than enough," Anna said, tears springing to her eyes. "It's all I've ever wanted. I love you so much, Kristoff."

Kristoff leaned his forehead up against hers. "Will you marry me, Anna?"

"Yes, Kristoff. Of course I will."

The ring fit, just like it was always meant to be there.


	3. The Arrival of a Prince

Anna was the first to awaken, for once.

She didn't want to open her eyes, she didn't want to face even the essence of an idea that any part of last night could've been a dream. She stretched her left hand out flat and tested the weight of her fingers, lifting her pointer finger, middle finger, and her ever-so-slightly heavier ring finger. Smiling a little, eyes still closed, she used her right hand to spin the warm metal of the ring. It was there. Kristoff had proposed. She was going to _marry_ him.

Anna opened her eyes and rubbed the last bit of sleep away from them. A patch of sun rested on Kristoff, who had stayed over again. He slept on his stomach, hair flopped over his eyes. She could be quiet no longer. She had to tell Elsa! This was news too good to share. As she moved to shake him awake, she noticed faint scarring on his body that she had never noticed before.

Obstructed normally with nighttime or clothing, Anna had never noticed the long cut that ran along his side, or the small scars that freckled across his arms.

"Kristoff?" she said, shaking his shoulder.

"He's not here." Kristoff mumbled, pressing his face further into the pillow.

Anna smiled a little. "Where'd you get all those scars?"

"_You wanna know how I got these scars_?" Kristoff said in a cartoon-ish voice.

"Huh?"

"Sorry, that reference won't exist for a couple hundred years. Anyway, which once are you talking about?" Kristoff propped himself up on his side.

"Like this one." Anna ran a finger down his side. "Or these." she poked the ones down his arms.

Kristoff looked himself up and down. "Those are all from ice harvesting."

"I thought you were careful!" Anna exclaimed, worried.

"Of course I'm careful." Kristoff said. "If I wasn't careful I wouldn't be here at all."

"Kristoff!"

"It's true!"

"Then how did you get them?"

"God, I don't remember. The tools are sharp, you fall down sometimes, sleds have things prodding out of them. Things just happen, but I'm fine."

"Kristoff, you made me promise you that I'd always be careful, but you have to promise me that you won't take any risks."

"Anna, ice harvesting is inherently a risk-"

"Kristoff, promise, _promise_ you'll always come back. In one piece."

Kristoff didn't answer right away. He knew these kinds of promises were important, and if he made it to Anna, he couldn't break it. "I promise you."

"Good." Anna breathed. "I can't bear to lose you."

"Does it help if you know that feeling is mutual?"

Anna smiled. "Well, it certainly doesn't hurt."

"Anna," Kristoff smiled and cupped her face. "You have nothing to worry about."

"I'm worrying about my husband now." Anna said. "Technically fiance, but still."

Kristoff felt his heart leap a that. _Husband_. He was going to be her _husband_. "That's still so strange to hear. Before I met you, I never thought I'd even get married."

"Why not?" Anna couldn't quite understand this. She'd dreamed of love and marriage and weddings ever since she was a little girl. The faces of the person she'd marry changed, depending on her mood or particular daydream or the last painting she'd seen.

"I was never the marrying type." Kristoff shrugged. "Besides, what did I have to offer? I've got a small cabin, I'm gone a lot of the time, my entire family is quite literally trolls, I don't have any money-"

"Kristoff," Anna said, cocking her head. "You know none of that is bad."

Kristoff was quiet for a moment. "I know that now."

…

Elsa sat down at the dining table, pulling out some correspondence. Today was the day, if the sailing trip went well. Elsa hoped that it would, not for who was arriving, but because she knew the disastrous effects of what happened when a sailing trip went wrong.

"Otto." she said. She'd read his name before, as he was the son of a king, but she had never said the word aloud. Would she be saying it for the rest of her life? She took some comfort in the fact that he was passing through Arendelle as a detour from his trip to Germany. He wouldn't stay forever, no matter what.

Though, he may return.

Elsa was shaken from her concerns by the pounding of feet and the swish of a slide as Anna barreled into the dining hall in stocking feet.

"Elsa!" Anna exclaimed excitedly, before whipping around. "Kristoff, _hurry_!"

Elsa laughed. "What's going on here?"

"Oh, Elsa, I have the most marvelous news." Anna froze. "Wait, Kristoff-!"

Kristoff, panting, finally entered the room. "I'm here!"

"Did you," Anna waved her hands. "Ask her?"

Kristoff looked confused. "Ask her what?"

"For a…." Anna dropped her voice. "Blessing." she said more quietly, though Elsa could still here.

Elsa's heart leapt up.

Kristoff went paler. "Was I - was I supposed to?"

Anna shrugged a little. "She is the _queen…_"

"Does everyone do that?" Kristoff said in disbelief. "I've never seen anyone, but I also grew up with trolls, but I didn't-"

"Kristoff," Elsa rose. "Anna...are you two engaged?"

"Yes!" Anna beamed.

Elsa only ever wanted what was best for her sister. She had been right to try and stop Anna's wedding to Hans, though of course the two did not ever discuss that specifically. It would be unkind to say 'I told you so' after all both she and Anna went through. But Kristoff had been living with them for a while, and Elsa had gotten to know him. He was kind to Anna, and gentle with her. He made her happy, and Anna loved him deeply. It was the sort of love that Anna deserved, that they both did.

Elsa smiled, running to her sister. "I'm so happy for you two!"

...

Otto's ship docked later that day, and both Elsa and Anna were waiting to meet him.

"What do you know about him?" Anna asked Elsa, whispering even though Otto had not yet even disembarked, much less gotten close enough to hear them.

"Not much, admittedly." Elsa said, trying not to sound nervous. She wasn't sure why she still tried to hide that from Anna.

"Well, now is your chance to learn!" Anna squeezed her sister's hand.

Elsa nodded. Here was her chance. The doors were opening, there was no going back. She was going to have to square with this.

A person walked down to the doors Anna and Elsa stood in front of. She supposed he was handsome, in a blue waistcoat with a red sash. His dark hair was pulled back into a queue - out of style but not offensively so - and he looked sternly ahead, as someone who'd also been bred for this moment. His shoulders were not broad but he was wide, with a softly curved face and round eyes.

"Queen Elsa." he smiled quickly at her and bowed.

She extended her hand and he kissed it. "Prince Otto, it's so lovely to have you here."

"The pleasure is all mine."

"I trust your trip was smooth?"

"Perfectly lovely."

"Please, come in. This is my sister, Princess Anna."

"Pleasure, Princess Anna." Otto kissed her hand as well.

"Lovely to meet you as well." Anna dipped into a quick curtsey.

"We figured that you would be famished upon arrival, so you'll be taking tea with me in my drawing room." Elsa smiled at him. It was formal, it was semi-supervised, it was comfortable. It was her first ever first date.

Otto nodded and smiled at her. "Will others be joining us?"

"No." Elsa said, giving him a beat to protest, but he did not. "I usually take my teas alone."

"Then I consider this a great privilege to be joining you."

...

He listened. That was the first thing that Elsa noticed about him. So often she was surrounded by powerful men - from her own country or others - who tried to talk over her, who dismissed her, who treated their feelings and decisions as absolute, and hers as persuadable.

But Otto listened. When she talked, when she directed him. They took for four hours - three hours and fifteen minutes longer than she usually did - and they had a proper conversation. He never interrupted her, or one-upped her.

He laughed, he laughed with a genuineness she seldom heard. She didn't even know if that was the right word for it but, despite the irony, she thought he was genuine.

"You and your sister filled the great hall with _snow_?" Otto laughed, leaning back in his chair.

"We wanted to build a snowman!" Elsa had not told him about her ice powers, but perhaps he already knew. They'd cross that bridge in time. It wasn't a secret, but that didn't mean she had to offer the information forward, did it?

Otto laughed again. "Well, that's what sibling are for, isn't it? I used to get into trouble with my brother all the time."

"Oh?" Elsa asked.

"I admired him so much." Otto shook his head. "It seemed like he could do anything."

Elsa smiled a little. "Anna said she used to think of me like that. I'm not really sure how she ever did. I never felt confident, about anything."

Otto smiled. "I know how it feels." He sighed, rolling his shoulders forward. "But sometimes I think we have to take risks, and do things even if we don't know if we can pull it off."

Elsa nodded, looking Otto up and down. Something was different about him. He wasn't like other men that she had met before. There was something kinder, something more alluring about him. Otto could be, perhaps, a friend.

But was that enough to make him a husband? Did she have a right to ask for more?

...

"So what's the prince guy like?" Kristoff asked, as he and Anna took a before-dinner walk throughout the woods.

"Well, you'll meet him tonight." Anna said. "But he was certainly polite when he greeted Elsa and I."

"That's good." Kristoff nodded.

"I didn't stay with them very long - wanted them to get to know each other, y'know, so as soon as it seemed polite to duck out I did." Anna nodded.

"Makes sense." Kristoff nodded. "Oh, hey! Look! A deer!" He pointed slightly westward of them.

"Aw, look, it's two of them!" Anna smiled, grabbing Kristoff's arm.

"You won't need me around tomorrow, right?" Kristoff asked.

"Well, I'd like you around." Anna smiled up at him. "But no, we don't have anything special planned for you."

"Good!" Kristoff said. "I think Sven and I are going to go ice harvesting tomorrow."

Anna staggered back a little. "Already? But it's not even winter!"

"Well, it's already turning cold!" Kristoff said. "Up in the mountains the ice has already been frozen for a while. Just because it's still calm down here doesn't mean it's calm everywhere."

Anna pursed her lips.

Kristoff grabbed her hand and tugged her closer. "I'll be back, okay? I promise. All in one piece, remember?"

Anna smiled a little, but did not respond.

He pointed across Anna. "Look, more-oof!"

Anna spun around to look at what had pushed Kristoff forward. "Another reindeer!" she laughed, reaching out to pet it instinctively. "Well, aren't you the cutest!"

"Where are these coming from?" Kristoff spun around. "Hey! Go away!"

"Oh no, he just wants to be friends!" Anna pet the reindeer. "Don't you?"

"Where are they coming from?"

"Well we usually don't go this deep in the woods." Anna reasoned. "Maybe they smell Sven on you."

"Can't they go smell somewhere else?" Kristoff asked.

"They like you!" Anna insisted.

"I already have Sven!"

"You can have more than one friend!"

"I'm not sure that's true!"

Anna rolled her eyes and looked back at him, continuing to pet the reindeer. "Has this happened to you before?"

"Not without Sven?" Kristoff said, confused, reaching out to pet the reindeer. "We grew up in the woods, you know. Together. Of course there were always deer. But I figured they liked him."

Anna smiled up at Kristoff. "Looks like they like you, too."

…

Dinner was courses and discussion of horses and painfully full bellies under four sets of corsets. But, Anna sat there and watched. Something was...off.

"No, tell me about the festival!" Otto insisted eagerly, leaning in to listen to Elsa.

"We held it last year - we've been celebrating spring for the past few years - and the farmers-" Elsa had to stifle a giggle. "They all decided to take their largest pumpkins - which were fairly large - and hollow them out, with a fairly sizeable hole on top. Then their children got in and paddled across the pond!"

Otto laughed, and Elsa laughed with him. Anna didn't quite know what was wrong, but it felt like she was watching a play. They were laughing and engaging each other, but it all felt like a performance.

Perhaps it was because they had just met, or perhaps it was because Elsa was so easily made nervous, but Anna knew enough about her sister to know when she was hiding something. In the past few years especially, she had become adept at identifying when Elsa was trying to compensate for a fear, or for something, and Anna felt that this was another attempt.

Both Elsa and Otto laughed a little too hard, structured their movements a little too carefully, and adjusted their position when the other did. They were watching each other, closely.

But for what?

…

The wind whistled and whipped, and though the castle was warm, Anna sat by the fire, because it provided the best view of the mountain trail Kristoff would have to return from. He'd gone before, of course, but Anna didn't like being apart from him period, much less when she knew he was actively putting himself into danger.

She felt like she was watching over him in this way, sitting out in the big armchair. She had finished her tea and yawned, settling back into the chair. Snow began to fall. Hopefully the ice would be nice. Anna wasn't really sure what made ice nice. She'd asked Kristoff about it, but he just got very excited and wasn't particularly clear.

She awoke just before dawn, far earlier than she had expected to. She hadn't even expected to fall asleep in the chair, though it was comfortable. The world was too quiet; she couldn't sleep. Wrapping her blanket around herself, she patterned out into the hallway, looking for Elsa.

It was early, but servants were moving, so it was waking hours. She stopped one. "Excuse me, have you seen Elsa around?"

"Yes, I saw her walk into her study but ten minutes ago."

"Great, thank you!" Anna smiled and scampered off down the hall.

She paused when she heard voices coming from the room. It was so early, and she didn't know of anything scheduled, so who could Elsa be talking to? She stood outside and listened.

"What do you mean, storm?"

"There's no other way to describe it, though we don't understand it either. It just...came out of nowhere."

"This is ridiculous, it's barely winter! Fall is just ending!"

"We know, your majesty."

"Well, don't look at me that way! I didn't do anything to change the weather. You know I can control my powers now."

"Are you, erm, quite sure, your majesty?"

"Yes! I've lived with these powers my whole life, and I'd thank you to remember that you are still talking to your queen!"

"Of course, ma'am."

"Oh, God, it's late in the season but tell me - where people up in the mountains when it hit?"

"We are circulating around town as we speak to see of any campers or early morning hikers, but to our current understanding only a group of ice harvesters were hit with any real force."

Anna's heart dropped into her stomach, and she pushed into the room. "Are they all okay?" she demanded, looking at the advisor and her sister.

"Anna, we-" Elsa said.

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop, I just -" Anna shook her head. "The ice harvesters. Are they all okay?"

The advisor cleared his throat. "That's part I why I came to see you all so early." he said seriously.

Anna whimpered inadvertently. She knew what this meant.

"Nothing is known for sure!" the advisor said, reaching out to her. "We've accounted for all except one. And that one is, unfortunately, Kristoff."

Anna brought her hands to her face, a sob clutching her.

"We'll send people up as soon as the storm subsides - it seems to be fairly contained to the mountain so it is not that large, and not that dangerous, and should pass soon."

Elsa hugged Anna, bringing the crying girl to her shoulder. "Kristoff has been in many storms like this, I'm sure. He knows what to do and I'm sure he's keeping himself safe."

"We have people monitoring the situation, and-"

Anna tore away and ran out of the room, down the stairs, through the hall, and out into the open grounds. She looked out at the mountain - snow on top, fall still surrounding. There was a chill in the air and the early morning fog still rolled in.

"How can it be so calm when something so terrible is happening?" Anna muttered. It was supposed to be large storms that took people down, not something like this. Or perhaps she was too far from Kristoff to feel. Both thoughts scared her equally. "How can he be up there?" she said aloud. "Do you think he just stayed put?"

"No, look!" Elsa cried excitedly. "I can't make it out, but someone's coming!"

Anna gasped and started running towards the vague mass in the fog. As she grew closer, the shape presented itself more clearly. Anna could feel hope leave her body as she looked to the distance and saw Sven struggling back, alone.


End file.
